Folding chair



April 2, 1963 R. w. BRADSHAW ETAL FOLDING CHAIR Filed Nov. 3, 1958FITZPATRICK BiJOHN TEUFEL. JR.

INVENTORS ROBERT W. BRADSHAW ROBERT J.

ATTORNEY United States Patent signors to Grumman Aircraft EngineeringCorporation,

Bethpage, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Nov. 3, 1958, Ser. No.771,403 3 Claims. (Cl. 297-39) This invention relates to folding chairs.

More particularly, the invention is concerned with folding chairs ofsemi-reclining type, such as deck chairs.

It is an object to provide a chair of the type indicated which isadapted to manufacture from metal extrusions and drawn tubing and whichrequires a minimum of specially fabricated shapes.

A second object of the invention is to provide a chair of the typeindicated which folds easily into as compact a shape as possible.

A further object of of the type indicated, in rest (if provided) mayother and in which the arm and alongside or inside them so as not nessof the folded chair.

A folding chair embodying the invention in a preferred form will nowfirst be described with reference to the accompanying drawing, and thefeatures forming the invention will then be pointed out in the appendedclaims.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a deck chair embodying the invention in apreferred form;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation showing the chair folded FIG. 3 is afragmentary or partial plan view, at the location of and looking in thedirection of the arrows 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 4-8, inclusive, are detail sections taken on the respective lines4-4 to 3-45 of FIG. 1.

The chair comprises a back 10, seat 11, a front leg member 12, a rearleg member 13 and arm rests 14 and includes also a leg rest 15 and asupporting leg member 16 for the leg rest.

The structure of the back, seat and leg rest may be varied and in itselfforms no part of the present invention except as pointed out below.These elements consist in general of framing structural members as moreparticularly described below, together with interwoven straps or webbing17 forming supporting surfaces for the body of the user.

The structural elements forming the chair are generally made up oftubular aluminum alloy drawn shapes of rectangular or approximatelysquare cross section, providing a strong and sturdy chair atcomparatively low cost.

The side members 18 of the back carry joint plates 19 and 20 (FIGS. 1, 6and 7) secured thereto by rivets 21 and straddling the side structuralmembers 22 of the seat 11. Bolts 23 passing through the plates 19, 20and through the members 22 pivotally secure the back 10 to the seat 11.Washers 24 are interposed between each member 22 and the plates 19, 20.Each such pivot assembly is retained in position by a washer 25 and locknut 26, and a bushing 27 takes the axial force due to tightening the nut26, leaving the parts free to turn. The front leg member 12 is pivotallysecured to the same members 22, as shown in FIG. 4, by means of bolts 28together with washer elements 29 and 30 and lock nut 31, as shown. Rearleg member 13 (FIGS. 1 and 7) is pivoted to the inner plates 20 by meansof bolts 32 and bushings 33 and a spacer 36, together with washers andlock nuts, as indicated. Links 34 are pivotally conthe invention is toprovide a chair which the back, seat and leg be collapsed flat againsteach leg elements fold up to increase the thickp 3,083,995 Patented Apr.2, 1963 "ice nected to the seat elements 22 as shown at 35 and to theleg member 13, as indicated at 35', the pivotal connections being formedof elements similar to those previously described in the case of theother joints. The arm rests 14, which may be formed of wood, plastic ormetal as desired, are, in turn, pivotally connected to the back sidemembers 18 by similar bolted joint elements 37 (FIG. 8) and areconnected to the .top of the leg member 12 by means of strap hinges 38as shown in FIG. 1. The leg rest 15 is pivotally connected to the frontend of the seat 11 by strap hinges 39 and has its supporting leg member16 pivotally connected to its frame members by bolted connections 40, asshown in FIG. 3. The leg rest may occupy either the full line positionof FIG. 1 or the broken line position, as desired. When in the full lineposition of FIG. 1, pad 49 provided on the supporting leg member 16abuts stop element 41 consisting of an angle bracket provided on theframe of the leg rest 15. The front edge of the leg rest 15 as well asthe bottoms of the leg members 12, 13 and 16 and the top of the back 10may be fitted with buffers 42 of rubber or other suitable material, asdesired.

The back, seat and leg rest elements 10-, 11 and 15 may :be formed bybending the frame elements into a U-shape, the ends of the legs of theUs being joined together by cross members. Similarly, the leg members12, 13 and 16 may be formed by bending the frame elements into aU-shape.

In the position of FIG. 1, the weight of the occupant of the chair istransmitted to the front leg member 12 through pivot bolt 23 and to therear leg member 13 through pivot bolts 23 and 32. The elements 10, 11,12 and 14 form approximately a parallelogram, which in itself tend tocollapse or flatten when supporting the weight of the occupant. However,such collapse is prevented by the engagement at the lower ends of theside members 18 of the back 10 against pads 46 provided on the seatmembers 22, and the engagement of pads 48 provided on the leg member 13with stop elements 41' similar to stop elements 41 provided on the innersurface of the plates 20.

If it is desired to fold the chair, the arm rests 14 are pulled back upalongside the back 10 as shown in FIG. 2, collapsing the parallelogramstructure of the chair, so that leg member 12 and seat 11 are also linedup and lie fiat against the back 161 and arm rests 14. At the same time,the links 34 are pulled up, swinging the rear leg member 13 forwardlyaround the pivot bolts 32, so that these elements come up flat againstthe under surface of the webbing 17 of the seat 11. Leg member 16 may befolded back into the leg rest 15 which then drops down and lies flatagainst the seat 11, so that the chair collapses into the form shown inFIG. 2, providing exceptionally easy folding together with compactnessfor transportation and storage. The setting up of the chair reverses theforegoing procedure and in a manner which is obvious. It will beobserved that the plates 19 and 20 extend forwardly from the plane ofthe back 10 generally, locating the pivot bolts 23 and 32 forwardly ofthe back 10' by a suitable distance to permit the element to lie flat asmentioned above. The axial distance from bolt 37 to bolt 23 plus theaxial distance from bolt 23 to bolt 28 equals the sum of the distancefrom the bolts 28 and 37 to the axis of hinge 38, permitting foldinginto the flat condition of FIG. 2 and which involves folding the seat 11through an angle of about with relation to the back 10. At the sametime, the leg member 13 is required to swing around through an angle ofapproximately 250, and this is accomplished by suitably proportioningthe links 34 and suitably locating the pivot bolts 35, 35' and 32relative to the pivot bolt 23.

What is claimed is:

1. In a folding chair, a joint structure for the chair back, seat and arear leg, comprising a side structural seat element, a fork fixed to theback and straddling the said seat element, a pivot passing through thefork and seat element and maintaining the outer fork element in spacedrelation to the seat element, a rear leg and a pivot passing through theinner fork element and the upper end of the leg for pivoting the leg tothe back, a link, a second pivot joining the link to the said seatelement at a point spaced from the first said pivot and a third pivotjoining the link to the leg at a point below the first said pivot, thesaid link drawing the leg up flat against the seat when the seat isfolded up flat against the back.

2. In a folding chair, a joint structure for the chair back, seat and arear leg, comprising a side structural seat element, a fork fixed to theback and straddling the said seat element, a pivot passing through thefork and seat element and maintaining the outer fork element in spacedrelation to the seat element, a rear leg and a pivot passing through theinner fork element and the upper end of the leg for pivoting the leg tothe back, a link, a second pivot joining the link to the said seatelement at a point spaced from the first said pivot and a third pivotjoining the link to the leg at a point below the first said pivot, thesaid link being curved upwardly and drawing the leg up flat against theseat when the seat is folded up flat against the back.

3. In a folding chair, a joint structure for the chair back, seat and arear leg, comprising a side structural seat the first said pivot and tothe leg at a point below the first said pivot, the said link drawing theleg up fiat against the seat when the seat is folded up fiat against theback, the three said pivots being approximately aligned with each otherboth in position for use and when the chair is folded.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,225,306 Kovats Dec. 17, 1940 2,467,909 Rechler Apr. 19, 1949 2,503,508Parks Apr. 11, 1950 2,599,164 Cudini June 3, 1952 2,600,374 ONeill June10, 1952 2,714,921 Rechler Aug. 9, 1955 2,729,277 Rechler Jan. 3, 19562,783,823 Tong Mar, 5, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 387,975 Great Britain Feb.16, 1933 773,127 France Aug. 27, 1934 191,572 Austria Sept. 10, 1957

1. IN A FOLDING CHAIR, A JOINT STRUCTURE FOR THE CHAIR BACK, SEAT AND AREAR LEG, COMPRISING A SIDE STRUCTURAL SEAT ELEMENT, A FORK FIXED TO THEBACK AND STRADDLING THE SAID SEAT ELEMENT, A PIVOT PASSING THROUGH THEFORK AND SEAT ELEMENT AND MAINTAINING THE OUTER FORK ELEMENT IN SPACEDRELATION TO THE SEAT ELEMENT, A REAR LEG AND A PIVOT PASSING THROUGH THEINNER FORK ELEMENT AND THE UPPER END OF THE LEG FOR PIVOTING THE LEG TOTHE BACK, A LINK, A SECOND PIVOT JOINING THE LINK TO THE SAID SEATELEMENT AT A POINT SPACED FROM THE FIRST SAID PIVOT AND A THIRD PIVOTJOINING THE LINK TO THE LEG AT A POINT BELOW THE FIRST SAID